Hebrews Chapter 9

Yeshua, Jesus; a Better Sanctuary

The New Testament, or New Covenant, actually began with John the Baptist. See Luke 16:16, and Mark 1:1 and Matt. 3:8-10. The New Covenant was actually established by the shedding of Christ’s blood on the cross for all sinners. See Luke 22:20, 1 Cor. 11;23-26. The Mediator, or High Priest of the New Covenant is Yeshua, Jesus. See Heb. 12:24. Salvation is three fold: Justification: Freedom from the penalty of sin; Sanctification: Freedom from the power of sin; Glorification: Freedom from the presence of sin.

9:1

Truly, or be carefully advised and pay close attention; the first covenant had rules or laws of worship and service, as well as an earthly sanctuary. Most people consider the ‘old covenant’ as the Law, or the Ten Commandments. Yet the writer of Hebrews points out that it was the worship and priesthood that was most important. The emphasis was on the settling of sins. Yet, the law, worship and rituals never really settled the sin question. See Heb. 10:4.

9:2-3

Now the writer begins to paint a verbal picture of the Tabernacle, the courts and divisions, the articles, etc. He wants everyone to be aware of all the articles that were set up to represent or foreshadow, what was to come in the future. He emphasizes the “Holy Place.” (3.) But, now there is something else, that is the “Holy of Holies”. This part, in which the Shekinah Glory was present, was separated by a very thick second veil. This veil was 5 or 6 inches thick; and this was the veil that was torn from top to bottom when Jesus died. This is all referenced in Exodus 26:31-33 and elsewhere. No one, except the High Priest, was ever allowed in the Holy of Holies.

9:4-5

This Holy of Holies, where the very Presence of God was present, contained the golden altar of incense, the ark of the covenant, a golden jar of manna and the rod of Aaron and the Ten Commandments. See Exod. 16:32-34; 30:1-6; and Num. 17:8-10. (5.) Then above the ark of the covenant were the representations of the cherubims of glory above the mercy seat. The writer then states that now is not the time to go into any detail about these things.

9:6

Now when all these things were in order, then the priests went in and out, day after day, doing their priestly duties. We see here a reference to the repetitions required to keep things in order. The bread had to be replaced, the candles had to be tended and replaced. The incense had to be burned each day; the oil and incense had to be replaced on a regular basis. The basins had to be cleaned and refilled, etc.

9:7

But only once a year would the High Priest go alone, into the Holy of Holies, with the blood of sacrifice, to be offered for himself and for the sins of all the people. This showed a very limited access to God and to only a once a year time for atonement. This is on Yom Kippur. Only the High Priest, never the people; was allowed in the presence of God. The writer wants to remind the Hebrews of how restricted and limited they were to the presence of God. Not only physically distant, but in their knowledge and understanding of God. He is preparing them for a deeper appreciation and understanding of the unbelievable privilege of knowing and understanding God in a deep and personal relationship.

9:8

Through all of this the Holy Spirit is showing us that the way into the true and Eternal Holy of Holies was not available to the Hebrews, or to us. It could never be opened to them, or us, as long as the old tabernacle and veil were in place. The tearing of the veil symbolized the opening of the Holy of Holies, or direct access to God, through the death of Jesus on the cross. Remember, only the High Priest was ever allowed in the presence of God. Thus, the New Covenant would now allow all those who became believers – actually becoming a priesthood of believers; to be given access to God. Can an unbeliever have access God? No, absolutely not; unbelievers can’t even understand the Truth and reality of a personal relationship with our Lord, God and Creator.

9:9

This is a particularly awkward sentence. Essentially, the outer portion of the tabernacle was a symbol, or picture, of the present age we live in. Gifts and sacrifices were made, and still are, in the hope of appeasing God. Yet none of these ‘things’ can change the person inwardly. The perfecting and cleansing of the inner man is not accomplished by outer performances. No matter how many outward sacrifices, or gifts, are made, it doesn’t change a person inside. We know, as Believers, that only God can change us on the inside; our soul and spirit. Only Jesus can make us holy and clean. We can do absolutely nothing to make ourselves righteous and acceptable; only Jesus can Sanctify us for His Glory and Praise. This is the major misunderstanding between Christianity and all other religions. It is the inner person, one’s soul and spirit, that must be transformed. All this is accomplished only through the spiritual work of the Holy Spirit, through Jesus Christ.

9:10

All of these food and drink, and clean and unclean, items were ceremonial; merely representing the outward life. All of this was set up to represent the sorry state of their lives until the true reformation of the New Covenant could be established. We also, can never worship God in spirit and in truth until we have truly acknowledged Him as our Lord, God and Savior; confessing our sins and repenting and seeking His forgiveness. We must willingly give ourselves completely and totally to Jesus, then, and only then, can we worship and glorify Him.

9:11-12

Now the appointed and prophesied time has come. The appearance of the long awaited Messiah, appearing as both High Priest and King. He alone is the perfect Tabernacle, or Temple.
(12.) Jesus, our Messiah, entered into the Holy of Holies, Heaven itself, by the sacrifice of His own blood, perfect and holy, providing a permanent and eternal redemption for all of mankind. The old was by the blood of animals, shed by man, as a temporary ‘covering’ for sin. The New Covenant is based on the shed holy blood of our perfect sinless God. God judged all sin forever; past, present and future, on the cross of Jesus Christ for all those who believe and accept His perfect sacrifice for them. Jesus Himself spoke the Truth from the cross: “It is finished.” This rendition, or translation, means it is accomplished forever into all Eternity. There is nothing we can do to add or take away from His ultimate Sacrifice for us. Absolutely nothing. It is humbling to realize and admit that we are utterly helpless and unable to control or do anything without Jesus. We cannot even exist without Him.

9:13-14

All the old sacrifices only served to outwardly cleanse the sins of the people. Yet the blood of Christ was the ultimate eternal sacrifice that inwardly cleansed the soul and spirit of the penalty of sin, which is death forever. The author continues to emphasize the importance of being made clean on the inside, rather than just an outward cleansing. Jesus offered His Blood by His Spirit. Thus it is the Spirit of God, with His Blood, that constitutes the perfect sacrifice! Only Jesus, as Eternal God and man, could qualify and fulfill the required payment for man’s sins. Without Jesus, we were helpless slaves to sin, slavery, pain and death. His blood freed us from the horrors of sin, suffering, agony and eternal death. Jesus is the only One who ever could free us forever from eternal damnation. Know and understand that as a Believer, you are FREED FROM THE PENALTY OF SIN! Only when we are declared righteous through Jesus, can we hope to have a personal relationship with the Eternal, Holy and Pure God. There is no other way ANYONE can ever come into a personal relationship with our holy perfect, pure and Loving Creator.

9:15

For this very reason, Jesus IS the mediator of the new testament, or covenant. By His death, Believers are set free from all sins. This covers the sins committed under the first covenant. Those who believed God and obeyed Him were looking forward to the coming of their Messiah-Savior. Note that Jesus told the Jews clearly that He was the promised Messiah; that He had come to set them free from sin and that even ”Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and when he saw it, he was glad.” See John 8:56; for the entire Truth of God’s Word in relation to salvation for ALL Believers, read the entire 8th chapter of John for an in depth understanding. By this Word of God we know that old testament Believers were saved by Jesus, even though He had not yet been born as a human being. Remember, God is OUTSIDE OF TIME. God is not restricted to time constraints as we are.

9:16-17

A Will, or Testament, often referred to as a Last Will and Testament; is only a future promise of something to be given. The Will does not even become effective, until AFTER the person dies. Thus the Testator of the Will must die first before it can become effective. A Will has no power, or value, until AFTER the person dies. So it is with Jesus; His Testament, or Covenant, on our behalf, could only become effective when He died. If Jesus had not died on the cross, we would be trapped in our sins FOREVER. We could NEVER have a personal relationship with God, because we are sinners and unholy people; and God cannot be in the presence of sin. See the problem? We desperately needed a Messiah-Savior who could free us from the penalty of sin and death, AND bring us into a forgiven state that made us Holy before God. The Crucifixion of Jesus wasn’t a tragedy, it was an accomplished achievement! His Death and Resurrection were planned by God before the foundation of the world! (See Ephesians 1:4; Acts 2:23-24.)

9:18

We are reminded that the first covenant was inaugurated and put into place with the shedding of blood. From the very beginning, God had to shed blood to cover Adam and Eve – God made coverings for them from the skin of animals; thus He had to shed the animals blood in order to make the coverings. God’s covenant with Abraham was clearly prophetic in that it symbolized the necessity of death and the promised covenant being tied together. Remember that in Genesis 15:7-21, Abraham was told to sacrifice the animals, cut them into pieces and place them in such a position that at sundown a bright burning lamp, representing God, would pass between them. This signified God’s commitment and promise to Abraham and his descendants. The Hebrew phrase to ‘make a covenant’, literally means to ”cut a covenant”. Down through the ages all sacrifices had to have the shed blood of the prescribed animals in order to make atonement for man’s sins, and meet the requirements of the covenant.

9:19-20

Once again, the author uses Moses for his example, since Moses was the most revered prophet among the Jews. Once Moses had read and given the Ten Commandments to the people, and they had all agreed to obey them; then Moses took the blood of the calves mixed with fresh water (referred to as “living water”) and used the scarlet wool and hyssop to sprinkle the people and the scroll. This symbolized the cleansing of the people with the sprinkled blood and living water. We can clearly see the prophetic nature of these symbolisms. (20.) Then we are reminded that Moses said “This is the blood of the covenant which God has ordained for you.” See Exodus 24:6-8. We, as Believers, can immediately identify with similar words spoken by Jesus at His Last Supper. See Matt. 26:28; Mark 14:24; Luke 22:20.

9:21

The Holy Spirit reveals that Moses had also sprinkled the tent, or earthly tabernacle, and everything used in the ceremonial rituals with the blood and water mixture. Although Exodus states that the Tent and all the things used in the ceremonies were purified with oil, the Jewish scholar Josephus, wrote in the Antiquities of Jews 3:8:6, that the Tent and vessels were purified with both oil and the blood of bulls and rams.

9:22

Now the author gives us a summary by stating that the facts show, according to the Torah, that nearly everything is purified with blood. This proves that without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins. Today the modern Judaism completely rejects the Truth that ‘without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins’. Since there is no Jewish Temple, there can be no animal sacrifice, thus there is no way to deal with sin. So the Reformed Judaism has removed all references to animal sacrifices. However the Orthodox Jews know and believe that sins will be judged and pray three times a day for the Temple to be restored so that sacrifices may be made. They have some other rituals that they use to try to make some sort of atonement for sins. Yet throughout the Torah God continually reminds them that sacrifices alone are not enough. In Micah 6:8 God tells the Jews, and in effect, all mankind: “Man, it has been told you what is good, and what Adonai requires of you, just this: to do justice, to love mercy, and to walk in humility with your God.” All through the Torah and old testament, the people are told that only those whose hearts are right can offer blood sacrifices that will please God. Repentance, prayer and righteousness are preconditions for acceptable sacrifice. See Malachi 3:1-4.

9:23

All this referred to how the earthy things had to be purified. The Heavenly things also required a perfect sacrifice. Jesus is the perfect sacrifice for both man and all of Heaven. So why would Heaven need any sacrifice? One explanation might be that Heaven was the place that sin originated. Remember, Lucifer was the originator of sin, while he was in Heaven. (Isaiah 14: 12-17; Ezekiel 28:11-19; Job 4:18; Job 15:15; 25:5; Col. 1:20) It appears that in some way Heaven also needed to be cleansed. Keep in mind that at the end times God tells us that He will create a New Heaven and a New Earth.

9:24

Jesus Christ has already entered into the Holiest Place, Heaven itself. This Holiest Place is not man made, like the earthly Tabernacle, which is only a copy of the True one. Jesus is in Heaven for the purpose of appearing on our behalf in the very presence of the Living God. The author continues to emphasize the true importance of the Heavenly Holy Place being so far superior to the earthly Tabernacle that the Hebrews should not even consider it important anymore. Remember that the Jews lives were so involved with the Temple, that their livelihood and social life were all tied together with the Temple life. It was often impossible to buy or sell unless you were in ‘good standing’ with the Temple officials. In the future, Christians have been warned that the antichrist will require that all people be in ‘good standing’ with his rule by taking his mark. If they refuse, they will not be allowed to buy or sell. This would put all those who are not ‘in good standing’ in a position of being outcasts and unable to even obtain food or the necessities of life. These Hebrews were facing similar circumstances.

9:25-26

Jesus does not enter into the Heavenly Sanctuary over and over again to offer Himself repeatedly. Yet the earthly High Priest must enter the Holy of Holies with a blood sacrifice which is not his own blood, year after year. The necessity of the old covenant demanded the ritual be repeated over and over again. (26.) Since Jesus’ sacrifice was absolutely perfect, there is no need for Him to suffer and die repeatedly. Jesus’ sacrifice of Himself ended and abolished the judgement and punishment of sin forever – for those who humble themselves and accept His sacrifice.

9:27

The Truth is that God’s Word tells us clearly that God has assured us that we, as humans, will physically die only once. After we pass through death, then we will face God’s Judgement. Two very important Truths are given here: 1. We will physically die only once. Thus the foolish notion of reincarnation denies the Truth of God’s Word. If we only can die once, then we CAN’T come back to life as something else, or someone else. 2. Once we die, we WILL face God’s Judgement; there are no second chances. We cannot decide, after we die, that we will change our minds and believe in Jesus. Our death seals our decision for all eternity. That is why to put off making a decision to follow Jesus as Lord and Savior is actually a decision to follow Satan. A terrifying Truth!

9:28

So, now, knowing all these Truths, we are told that Jesus offered Himself, only once, to bear all the sins of the world, past, present and future for all time. Then the author goes on to tell us that Jesus will appear on earth a second time. The purpose of this appearance is not to deal with sin again, but to deliver those who are eagerly waiting for His return. This ‘eagerly waiting’ means those Believers are fervently working diligently for God’s Kingdom as they pray for His return to earth. Actively serving Jesus by obeying His Word and seeking to be sanctified and transformed into His image. And what are we to be delivered from? The very presence of sin! We will be glorified and transformed into His likeness! We will be freed forever from even the presence of sin; no more temptation or evil can ever touch us!

The Truth and clarity of the reasons for a blood sacrifice are often difficult to understand and comprehend in our secular world. Yet, for diligent believing Bible students, it becomes quite clear that this was absolutely necessary for forgiveness of sins for fallen man. You and I have the incredible privilege of the entire old and new testament to guide us in searching for the Truth. Plus, we have the power of the Holy Spirit, living within us, to guide us into all Truth. Pray to clearly understand, and obey, all that God is revealing to your heart and soul, so that you can bring great glory, honor and praise to our Almighty Creator and Savior, Yeshua!